Page 47 of Secret Puck
“What’s up? You were flashing panic eyes. Do you need a tampon?” Dakota asks as she checks herself in the mirror.
Reagan sets her giant purse on the counter and pulls out a tampon.
I wave her off. “No, I’m good.”
Next, she pulls out lip gloss which I take.
“I like Heath,” I admit after I swipe on the shiny pink gloss.
Dakota snorts. “Duh. What’s the problem?”
“We’re friends. He’s one of my best friends here. He’s already told me that he isn’t interested in dating me. If I make a fool of myself, then I’ll have to stop hanging out with you guys, and that would be a real bummer.”
“First of all, we’re not going anywhere. Second, don’t be a pussy.” Dakota meets my gaze in the mirror.
My mouth tingles and I rub my lips together. “What is this gloss?”
“Lip plumper,” Reagan says, putting it back in her purse and pulling out mascara and adding a coat to her lashes.
“It stings. Holy crap.” I grab a paper towel and wipe it off, but the burn only subsides a little. “That’s awful. Do you have something else that will dull the pain?”
Reagan hands me another gloss, this one I inspect more closely before applying.
Dakota holds out her hand for the lip plumper. “I like the pain,” she announces as she puts it on, turning so her back rests against the counter. “Listen, if you’re sure that nothing is going to happen between you and Heath, then stop torturing yourself.”
“She’s right,” Reagan says. “You guys spend a lot of time together which makes it hard to get over him.”
“Or find someone else.” Dakota’s icy blue eyes bore into mine. “Come on. Let’s go back out there. Sit with us and forget about Heath for tonight. There are a ton more guys at Valley, and we’re going to introduce you to all of them.”
“The ones out there anyway,” Reagan says with a light laugh.
Not a terrible idea. I’m done being angry and sad about Bryan, and spending my time wondering what college would have been like if he were here. I’m ready to have fun, date, maybe even hook up with someone new. And if that’s not Heath, then there are other people out there.
Heath is at the bar getting another pitcher when we make our way back to the table which makes my transition to sitting next to Reagan and Dakota less awkward. When he spots me down the table, he raises both hands in question, but I just smile at him like it’s nothing.
Reagan and Dakota are true to their word and they casually introduce me to so many guys they start to blur together. I feel like I’m on a covert version of The Bachelorette.
“Okay, point taken. There are a lot of guys at Valley. You don’t need to introduce me to any more.” My gaze flits to Heath across the bar. He’s talking to Maverick but looks up and smiles when he catches me staring.
“Hey, Ginny.” Liam approaches with his hands in his pockets. “Are you going over to Adam’s… I mean, your brother’s after this?”
“Uhh.” I look to Reagan and Dakota, who both nod eagerly. “I think so.”
“Cool, I’ll see you there.”
I watch him walk off and then look to Reagan. “I think I’m going to need more lip gloss.”
She digs into her purse and hands it to me. “Keep it. You may need to reapply many times.”
17
Heath
I geta ride back to the apartment with Maverick. I’m riding shotgun while Taryn and Adam sit in the backseat sucking face.
“Is that Liam’s truck?” Adam asks as Mav parks and we get out.
“Yeah, I think so,” I answer, looking over the silver F-150. There’s like a million of these trucks and they all look the same, but this one has a Valley University Hockey license plate.
